Cormorants and other water birds seem to be my thing at the moment! This is the first time I’ve spotted a Pied Cormorant:

Pied Cormorants look quite similar to Little Pied Cormorants, of which I’ve seen a few. Here’s a Little Pied from an earlier post of mine:

The Pied Cormorants are bigger, and they don’t have that endearing tuft of feathers on their heads. They also have a bright yellow patch on the inside of each eye, which the Little Pied Cormorants lack.

There are five types of cormorants to be found in south eastern Australia. I’ve now sighted four of the five! Just the Black-faced Cormorant still to go.

The Pied Cormorant was on a rock on the edge of the walkway that leads from Manly Beach to Shelly Beach. It’s quite a busy scene, with walkers, canoeists, and swimmers enjoying the water. The cormorant calmly watches the world go by:

Common name: Pied Cormorant
Scientific name: Phalacrocorax varius
Approximate length: 70-80 cm
Date spotted: 5 May 2024 (autumn)
Location: Marine Parade, Shelly Beach, Manly, New South Wales, Australia: 33°48’02.6″S 151°17’46.9″E

Now to spot a Black-faced Cormorant!